The Life of an Argonian Thief
by Mount Kansas
Summary: In 4E 305, 104 years after Skyrim, Neet is an Argonian who has survived the bitterness of the Dunmer against all odds due to optimism, determination, and those closest to him. He has become a thief, but no feat can compare to what Hermaeus Mora has planned for his brother and him. Please review and give me your thoughts.


The Argonian hatchling woke up with a jolt as the cart hit a hole in the road. His head hurt, and his vision was going between cloudy and clear. He didn't know what was happening, what the day was, or what his new name was. The other Argonian hatchlings were all looking down at their feet, their eyes filled with tears. He started coughing up ash, and no amount of amnesia can suppress the feeling of emptiness one gets when entering Morrowind. The cart stopped and he rubbed his horns. The crude bandage on his head was red when he looked at his reflection in the water the Dunmer with him forced into his mouth. The spot made him feel dizzy when he touched it. His hands were bound and his mouth was gagged. As the caravan made its way into the city of Blacklight, several Dunmer stopped what they were doing and stared at the hatchlings. The smallest of all the children looked at every single one of the townspeople. He made contact with a Breton man who gave him a wink and motioned with his finger to turn his head back around. The Argonian did and waited as the cart came to a stop in the middle of the city. He refused to watch what would come next. He stood in line with everybody else until his turn came. The slaver slapped him hard so that he hit his head on the scaffolding.

Everything came back. Neetrius was stuck in a dream he wanted to forget. He wanted to climb in with his parents but he saw only their lifeless heads in baskets staring at him. His egg brother was watching helplessly as their home burned. Neetrius hid in the thick forest behind him. He hid with his brother until they saw a few Dunmer heading their way. They both emerged and the Dunmer stopped. The biggest one pulled out a club …

Neet woke up in a puddle of sweat with the Breton man giving him a look of pure concern. He had different clothes on from what he had been wearing. He looked at the man again. He nodded his head as if he knew what Neet was thinking. He felt the wind moving against him and the way they were rocking, he guessed he was on a ship. "What's happening? Where am I? Who are you?"

The Breton pulled off his hood revealing a shaved head. In a rough cockney accent, he spoke. "My name is Aloagan Mallory, and you are aboard the _Septim._ I bought you and freed you from slavery. Now I'm taking you home. Tell me about yourself."

Neet hesitated for a moment. "My name's Neetrius, but you can just call me Neet."

"Pleased to meet you Neet." Aloagan's eyes shone like flawless emeralds as he smiled. He was trying to build trust with the little hatchling. "Tell me about your family."

"They were all killed by the mean grey people."

"Did they have red eyes?"

"Yeah. They were really scary. Only me and my egg brother hid."

Aloagan was suddenly moved with pity for the youngling. "Uh, tell me, Neet. How old are you?"

"I'm five. My hatchday's the fourth of Heartfire."

Aloagan noticed that Neet never made any eye contact with him, as if something was really bothering him. "Neet, what's wrong?"

Neet's seemingly glowing sky-blue eyes slowly made their way to Aloagan. "What'll happen to me? Where'll I go?"

His green eyes opened from thought. "Would you like me to be your father?"

"Yes."

"Alright then. If we're going to have a home, where should it be?"

"We had a Redguard come to our house once. He talked about where he lived. He said it was awesome."

"That, my dear boy is Hammerfell. It's full of sand. Are you sure?"

"Yeah!"

In six months, they reached Hammerfell. As they had no house, they lived in the sewer. To Neet, it reminded him of Black Marsh and he loved it. On their first day, Neet looked around the small town. Aloagan spoke with the blacksmith for a while, and told Neet not to wander off. The blacksmith smiled at him, and told his son that was his age to come out. They spent the day playing in the river, and when Aloagan saw them, he waved ant told Neet to come with him. His new friend told him to come back tomorrow.

"So, Neet, what did you do today?"

"I watched the blacksmith and played with Kenatsu."

"Who's that?"

"You saw him. The one in the river. The blacksmith said he could teach me how to make weapons!"

Aloagan smiled to himself. He had talked to the smith about giving Neet an apprenticeship. All of this was so new to the hatching that he was a little, black, scaly ball of energy.

A week later, Neet was woken up suddenly. "Neet, I need you to pack your bags as quickly as you can. We have to go, now!"

Neet took everything his little arms could carry and boarded the boat Aloagan took. He looked back and saw writhing tentacles taking out entire buildings. He had seen them before in Black Marsh, but just figured it was some common creature. It was bigger now, with eyes in random parts of the blob.

"What is that?"

Aloagan turned around with the most serious face Neet had ever seen. "You shouldn't be asking what that is. You should be asking who."

"Alright, who?"

"That's Hermaeus Mora, Daedric Prince of knowledge and fate. Go below deck right this instant!"

Neet was about to cry. He ran below deck and slammed the trapdoor. Aloagan knew he had scared him, and he was kicking himself for that. He should've known not to scare a five-year-old who's entire family was murdered right in front of him. He sailed nearby to Elsweyr to rest for the night. He went below deck to check on Neet. The scared Argonian was cowering in a corner, but Aloagan couldn't see him because his black scales blended perfectly with the shadows. What gave him away was his glowing blue eyes. _Do all Argonians' eyes glow? I haven't paid attention. It is odd… we'll head to Black Marsh and get the meaning of this._ Aloagan knelt down to Neet's level and spoke as softly as he could. "Hey there, Neet. I'm sorry for scaring you. Do you forgive me? It's alright if you don't. I'm going to take you back to Black Marsh. I've only known you for half a year, but it only took a second-long glance to love you as if you were my son. If it weren't for you, I'd still be drifting around Tamriel looking for a purpose. But I've found my purpose. It's to protect you and keep all the bad things away. I love you Neet, and I don't want you to ever forget that."

Aloagan stood up and made his way to the ladder. Before he could climb up, he felt two little arms around his waist, with two little hands holding on to his shirt as if his life depended on it. He felt tears running down his back, and heard his Argonian bawling into his shirt. He knelt down and gave the Argonian hatchling an embrace that only a father could give. He whispered, "I won't let anything happen to you as long as I'm alive." He realized that for the first time in a while, tears were running down his face.

They made it to Black Marsh in a month. Aloagan opened the chest he kept hidden in his dresser and moved the Thieves Guild armor over and found what he'd been looking for: his amulet that granted immunity to disease. He reminisced the memories of his grandfather Delvin teaching him to sneak. That armor had gone through the family for generations. He planned to give it to Neet when he was old enough. For now, since the Ebonheart Pact was no more and the Aldmeri Dominion was destroying every guild they didn't think was worthy of Elven supremacy, he would keep his allegiance with the Thieves Guild a secret. He left a note in the chest for Neet, just in case he found it. It was hard to figure out the code, but Neet, even at a young age, was a puzzle master. The little guy could finish a Dwemer puzzle cube in two minutes flat. He also figured out lockpicking within two days. Aloagan could not have been prouder. The two set out for the city of Lilmoth, where Neet was from. He led Aloagan through Pusbottom, the area where only the desperate live. He said he knew where an old shaman lived. They came across an old, run-down shack. The shaman was extremely old, with light gray scales. Through some divination, he knew Neet's destiny. The shaman took Aloagan aside. "This boy has a destiny that will change the course of history. When the Ebonheart Pact was broken, Dunmr started taking slaves again. There is something about liberating Argonia, but I need an Elder Scroll to find the full prophesy. Sadly, there is only one way to get it. It's in Apocrypha, Hermaeus Mora's realm of Oblivion. Anyone who comes in is literally devoured by the knowledge. You must wait. For the Daedric Princes will unify to stop him. He has a peculiar feature, yes?"

"His eyes glow, in case you haven't noticed." He looked over at Neet playing with some torchbugs. It pained him to see such a burden put on such a small and shy being. "The village we were at in Hammerfell was destroyed by Hermaeus Mora. Does that mean something?"

"Yes. It means he is threatened by something. Does he have a ring or an amulet?" Aloagan called Neet over and repeated the question. Neet slowly took off the small rock he always wore around his neck. It was about the size of a septim, and it had obviously been broken into several pieces. It was carved on both sides, but it wasn't Argonian craftsmanship. No tool could make such fine detail. He tried to put it on, but it just slipped off of his neck. He instructed Aloagan to put it on. It slipped off his neck too. Neet put it on with no problem. The shaman sighed. "Go to the other room now, Neetrius." Neet hated it when he was called by his full name. Aloagan used it whenever he got in trouble. He got in trouble a lot. He couldn't find a perfect hiding place without his horns being visible, so he opted to listen from the other room.

"That rock is no ordinary rock. It is what's left of an ancient Sigil Stone. The carving is in Daedric script, but the reason it is so unorganized is…baffling. It's as if it makes the walls of a maze. Let's see…two beings, one birth. Does Neetrius have a twin sibling?"

Aloagan's eys widened with realization. "Neet told me this story. He has a twin brother and they both hatched from the same egg with a rock in their hands. By Kynareth, it is about him! what else does it say?"

"That's all I have. I need more Sigil Stones to complete the prophesy. Where is Neetrius's brother now?"

"He's a slave in Morrowind."

"He must be freed."

Over the next five years, Neet got used to being called Neetrius, except for those close to him. He became more reckless, as most ten-year-old boys do. He always ran off to play with his friends before Aloagan could give him any chores. He also became more confrontational and defensive. But his love of puzzles stayed with him. Whenever he did a puzzle, he would see the puzzle solve itself before he started. Whenever he read something, the words would move around and form new sentences. But, that was only when he read Daedric or his native Jel. Otherwise, if it was in Cyrodillic, the words would just float around and never stop moving. He had learned Cyrodillic by his parents but preferred to speak in Jel when he could. He hated the restraint that the Empire had created through time. Argonians don't believe in time. He had to learn the Cyrodillic calendar and hated it. The Hist decides what happens and Sithis decides when.

Compared to other Argonians his age, Neet was about three inches shorter, making him the shortest. When it came to weight, he was also very skinny. Several of the townspeople regarded him as a runt, the smallest and least important. Also, his horns stopped growing after his eighth year. The ones in the middle of his head were like inch-long spikes going up. The ones on the back of his head jutted out three inches. They were a dull black like his scales. When he and his brother hatched, his brother left the egg immediately. Neet didn't. He was still developing. Two Argonians came out of one egg because of a soul split. A soul split is when the soul of a developing mortal is split in two, forming two different personalities, with two identical twins. Soul splits in Argonians were very rare.

Neet was playing with his best friend, Tilo-Ei, in the bog outside their village when Viranza strutted up and started bosing them around. She thought she was the boss of everything and let the two boys know it. Every day they would run outside to play only to have Viranza tell them to do things. Who did she think she was? The High Priest? Not only was she a girl, but she thought that because she was a month older than them she was their leader. Her attitude only brought out her dull gray scales. Tilo always thought of himself as Neet's protector. He was only a week older than Neet, but he was always by his side. He taught Neet how to fight with three weapons instead of two, using his tail as an extra arm. His father was the local smith of the village. He taught both Neet and Tilo, even though it was tradition to only have one smith. Aloagan made Neet an exception with a couple hundred Septims.

Neet's eleventh birthday was coming up. Aloagan went back to the _Septim_ for the first time in six years. He remembered the chest with his Thieves Guild armor and opened it. He was an old man now, and it was time to pass on the only heirloom he had. The _Septim_ had been given to him by his father, but Neet wasn't old enough yet. He took out the Thieves Guild armor and set it on the desk next to him. He found a note that he didn't remember putting into the chest and unfolded it. It was nothing but a black handprint. He turned around just as the assassin brought down his dagger an inch from his neck. Aloagan punched the Dark Brotherhood agent, stunning him. He then took the man's knife hand, spun him around, and stabbed him in the back with his own weapon. He unmasked the now-dead attacker. The Dunmer face made him fear the worst. His past had not forgotten him. The letter on him was signed only by House Redoran. Aloagan kicked the nearest chair. _Dammit! I was betrayed by my only allies in Morrowind. Only House Telvanni is my home now. _Ever since the Aldmeri Dominion had taken over the Empire and either killed or exiled every Argonian in Cyrodill, House Redoran had been corrupted and backwards. Instead of piety, they believed in slavery. House Telvanni was the only Argonan safe haven in Morrowind.

Neet and Tilo rolled their eyes as Viranza stormed up again. They tried to evade her today by going to the lake, but to no avail. They got out and put their clothes back on. Neet couldn't find his shirt and decided to go to the older kids to get it. They went through the trapdoor and confronted them.

"What do you want, _youngling_?" The older boy was maybe sixteen or seventeen, with light gray scales. He was the biggest of them all. "This?" He held Neet's shirt up, as if it were a trophy.

Neet could sense a fight coming. "Younglings don't steal other people's clothes."

The older Argonian smirked, knowing what was about to happen. Inside, he kind of pitied the kid. He was too scrawny for this type of thing. But his friends were all around and he didn't want to disappoint. He took the first swing and punched Neet hard in the nose. Blood immediately started coming from his left nostril. The older Argonian followed quickly with a left hook to Neet's right eye. He was just taking the punches, waiting his turn. After the older Argonian tired from punching hi., Neet grinned and started punching in the midsection. The older Argonian kept sending out punches, but Neet kept on dodging and going for the midsection. The older Argonian kicked Neet in the ribs to keep him away. This enraged Neet. He put his head down and ran straight for him. Neet heard the sickening sound of flesh being pirced and saw the older Argonian go down. He saw six puncture wounds in his stomach as the older Argonian was convulsing, gasping for air, and screaming at the same time. He knelt down And, Taking the small vial of healing potion he kept in his small pocket fr emergencies out, he poured just a little bit over each wound. He put the rest in his mouth and made him drink it slowly. He knew it tasted awful, and the older Argonian told him no different. Soon he was fine, as if nothing had happened. Neet picked up his shirt, and, using it to wipe the blood from his nose and cheek, left home.

When Neet got home, he was two hours late. Aloagan just sat there, with a scowl on his face and disappointment in his voice.

"What happened? Did you go into Oblivion or something?"

"Someone took my shirt." Neet took the now-ruined shirt off his face, indicating what happened.

"You're telling me that you got in a fight?"

"I guess so."

"What is there to guess about?! I guess you don't have to eat anything or sleep here tonight! I guess you can join your real parents in Oblivion for all I care! And you know what, I guess I shouldn't have saved you from those slavers six years ago!"

Aloagan followed this up with a smack that sent Neet sprawled on the floor. His green eyes were open to the point that they should have popped out. His face was tomato red with anger and veins were bulging. Neet, meanwhile, was trying to get away from Aloagan. Whatever he did infuriated him even more. Neet was enraged too. His face, even though Argonian facial expresions are hard to read, was pure anger, with tears streaming down his face. He was yelling too. " You take that back right now. You know what, I know you won't, so you're right. I don't have to sleep here, or even live here!"

Before Aloagan could react, the door slammed shut. He knew he had done something unforgivable. To an eleven-year-old, he had just mocked his dead parents and disowned him. He shouted and flipped the nearest piece of furniture, the table. _It wasn't supposed to happen like this. It wasn't supposed to end like this. All my life I have made the worst out of good things. He isn't coming back. I know it. I can't find him. I've played my part. I wish I could tell him what was coming._

He snapped out of his thought, realizing he was on his knees screaming for Neet to come back and that he was sorry. He grabbed the dagger on the counter on his counter and unsheathed it. He put it against his chest…but couldn't. he threw the weapon acrodd the room and curlex himself into a ball, where he passed out.

Neet kept running and couldn't get the sound of the ony person still in his life that he had once loved as a father screaming for him to come back and that he was sorry. He didn't know what direction he was going. He went to Tilo's house and fell asleep in the forge. He was awakened by a sharp kick to the stomach. Neet drearily looked up from the booted feet to the Dunmer standing over him. he was kicked again and walked with his hands tied to a wagon. He remembered this all too well. But this time he was blindfolded and gagged. Before he was, though, he looked over at the place he once called home through the window, where he saw Aloagan, and glared.

"Alright, lizards! Get in the wagon right now!"

Neet hated being called a lizard.

When they reached the Blacklight town square, Neet was sold last for five septims because of his scrawny size. The Dunmer that took him had maroon robes with a symbol of a beetle on them. Viranza and Tilo had also been sold to the beetle-robed people. Neet and Tilo were forced to work in the House Redoran ebony mines while Viranza worked in the kitchen. Neet kept just enough of the ore so that he wouldn't be caught. He had discovered a loose stone in his cell on the first night that left a foot-deep hole. He hid the ebony there. He brought the ore to Tilo's father at the forge one night. The blacksmiths had to work at night to prevent an uprising amongst the slaves. Tilo's father took the ore and hid it.

Over the next five years, Neet had been tortured daily according to the day's work. If he got lots done, he was only beaten senseless with fists. Slightly worse meant clubs. Completely shirking his duties meant permanent marking. He was still thin, but five years of mining gave him lots of muscle. He was still considered scrawny, standing at only 5'9, 145 pounds, but he had strength within him to keep working. He was surprised he was still alive. Just a month ago, the Dunmer took several Argonians and killed them where they stood for no reason. Several yellow-skinned Elves were there, nodding in synchronized approval. He saw them every day from then on.

One day, Neet was looking at one of the newcomers and accidentally made eye contact. The Elf stormed over, grabbed him roughly by the arm, and took him to the mine owner. "This…thing…has been shirking his duties. By the order of the High Aldmeri Dominion, this lizard is to be executed immediately."

The mine owner was incredulous. "I already executed half of my slaves because of you. The old ways are best." He pulled out an ebony dagger. "Since I am your merciful owner, I will let you choose."

Neet kicked and struggled, but the Thalmor agent was too strong. The owner toom his hand, grabbed a shackle he kept for emergencies, and locked him to the stone desk. He was not the first to get this. He saw the red stains on the desk and knew what was coming. He took a deep breath and held up his left ring finger. His screams were heard all throughout the slave quarters until he passed out.

Neet woke up in a circular room with a light coming straight down onto him. His left shoulder was dislocated, indicating that he had been dropped in here. He was pretty sure he had also broken his wrist. The space where his left ring finger had once been was still bleeding, and the bone was still showing. He tried to heal himself, but that only left his head in a fog. As his eyes got used to the dark edges in the room, he noticed arrows trained on him. The pain he was feeling was making him woozy. Before he could think f anything, he blacked out again.

He woke up to the cold water splashed on his head. Tilo had found him in the field adjacent to the mine. "What happened to you? It's like a bear mauled your arm. Let's start by fixing that shoulder." Neet's shoulder, wrist, and finger had only gotten worse. He looked down at his chest. There was a deep gash from his left shoulder going to the bottom rib on his right side. He looked at Tilo as if he wanted to speak. His lips made the words, but a sharp pain in his right side wouldn't let him talk. He tried again, but his wind was knocked out. Tilo hadn't noticed the scar. He only noticed Neet's bone sticking out from the socket in his shoulder. "Neet, I'm sorry, but I have to put that shoulder back in. This will hurt." The still-dazed Neet cried out in agony as his arm was removed from its alien position. He started seeing black spots in the corners of his eyes. Then, when Tilo put it back in the socket, the agony went tenfold. He tried to cradle his left arm with his right, but broken ribs wouldn't let him. He wished he could just black out again, but he couldn't. Tilo noticed the huge gash. He put the rest of his cold water on his shirt and used it to wipe off the blood. This hurt more than having a dislocated shoulder and losing a finger one knuckle at a time. Tilo trying to say things about broken ribs and the forge, but Neet's hearing was fading in and out, and the ringing in his ears brought on by pain was ongoing. Tilo tried to get him to sit up, but the cracking sound he heard from Neet's body made him sick to his stomach. He couldn't help but vomit. He could handle breaks and dislocations, but…this? This was something completely different. Neet groaned with the new broken ribs he just now received. He began bleeding out dut to the artery the bone fragments had severed. Tilo began to panic. He found some nearby sticks, and, using some string and the burlap from Neet's pants, made a quick cot. If he was to get Neet to the slave camp alive, he would need either another person, a mount, or wheels. Neet was convulsing as the blood started squirting out. Tilo desperately tried to stop the bleeding with his now soaked shirt and calling for help. A traveling apothecary from Skyrim came by and helped Tilo get Neet to the camp.

Neet was in pain. His entire arm was having spasms, and his chest kept on shuddering as if he was sobbing. He found his hands and feet bound to the table as if to prevent him from escaping. He had nothing on, except for the vomit-stained bandage wrapped tightly around his chest that needed to be changed. He was lightheaded from bloodloss. His broken wrist hadn't been dealt with. He had almost gotten used to the pain when somebody walked in. Tilo's father's clothes were almost completely red. He put a piece of wadded up cloth into his mouth and told him he needed to cauterize his finger. However, since the bone was still sticking out, he would have to grind it down. Neet was scared. He struggled against the bonds, but to no avail. Two big Argonian men ran in and held him down. He couldn't think, only feel. Then he felt no more.

Neet woke up again, and saw that there was a red cloth on his finger. Tilo's father came in with the poking iron he used in the forge. It was red hot. Neet shook his head no, his eyes growing big. He cried more in the last two days than he had in his entire life. The rag was put back into his mouth, and the loud _hsss_, with the smell of burning flesh, and the feeling of fire burning deep inside him, made Neet shout random words out. He shouted that he was sorry to Aloagan and that he was sorry. He shouted for the Hist to kill him in Jel over and over again. His now limp hand was put in a bowl of cold waterand bandaged. The surgeon and blacksmith now started to set his broken wrist. Whenever he woke up, Neet saw the bone jutting out from his forearm a little it more. They grabbed the bone, pushed it back through the hole t had made, and put histsap on the broken area and then bandaged it. Neet kept on shouting at the Hist. It seemed to respond to him inside of him.

He woke up at about noon with Tilo and Viranza. Viranza hugged him too tightly and he lost his breath. Tilo just patted him on the knee and gave him a slight smile. When they left to go work, Neet inspected his chest wound. It felt like it was sucking the rest of his body in. He just knew it was some enchantment, he didn't know what it was. He wasn't able to think about it because he fell asleep for the rest of the day.

Tilo woke him up with a start. The unexpected jump was not good for Neet. Tilo helped him get up and get some clothes on. "Can you walk on your own?"

"I don't know," Neet took some practice steps before trying. His legs felt like jelly and he lurched forward. Tilo caught him and put his good arm around his shoulders. The mine was in chaos. The yellow-skinned elves were setting the buildings on fire and killing all they saw. From behind the Thalmor, he saw a recognizable figure…Aloagan brought his sword to two Thalmor throats before the others noticed him, and killed the whole unit before they could get a spell off in time. More Thalmor were marching ahead and he saw Neet and Tilo. He gave Neet the same wink he had given eleven years ago and a stressed smile. Neet knew what he was going to do. "You can't. What will happen to me if you die?" Aloagan's eyes started to tear up. They weren't tears of sadness or fear, but tears of pride and happiness. "I've already played my part. Neetrius Mallory, I could not be any more proud of you than I am right now. Go to the Telvanni territory. It's safe for you there. I have arranged for the _Septim_ to be docked on the coast. I have a brother in Solstheim. You will find him at the Retching Netch in Raven Rock. Now I need you to go." Neet, with tears streaming down his face, hobbled to Aloagan and embraced him one last time. He knelt down and gave Neet a ring. With the ring, he gave him a note. "Read it alone on the _Septim_. Now, GO!"

Aloagan put his sword into the ash-covered dirt. Neet could see his eyes following him like emeralds. He nodded at Neet one last time, winked, and then the Thalmor launched every spell at their disposal at him. He didn't stand a chance. Neet was sure there was nothing left of his adopted father. Losing a parent is hard enough, but losing both parents and then losing the man he saw as one completely destroyed Neet on the inside.

Tilo understood completely. He lost his mother when he was six to Thalmor and hadn't seen his father escaping. He held back the tears knowing that his father always told him that tears were only for the ones who stood their ground. He never understood it, but it struck something inside of him. As night approached, they camped just outside of a rogue Telvanni tower. Tilo gently helped Neet lie down, and then shrugged off his blacksmith's pack. He propped Neet against a rock and took out four ebony swords. Neet didn't even notice. He just stared into the fire in shock. Tilo woke up the next morning with Neetnstill staring blankly into the fire, having not moved an inch all night. He took the amulet Neet always wore out of his pack and gave it to Neet.

Neet snatched it quickly without even looking away. He couldn't look away. All he saw in the fire was the happy days he had had with Aloagan Mallory. He saw him laughing. He looked at the Sigil Stone Tilo just gave him. it had a green glow that he had never experienced before. Something was calling to him in the tower. Tilo took a hatchet he had taken and cut off a tree branch for Neet to use as a walking stick. He also gave Neet one of the swords. "Keep your guard up."

They entered the tower quietly. They floated up from the entrance. Two glowing blue eyes with a dagger greeted them at the top. "Who are you? What are you doing?"

Tilo put his hands up in surrender. "I am Tilo-Ei. This is Neetrius. Do you have an amulet similar to this one?" He took Neet's Sigil Stone and held it straight out. The other Argonian showed them his, and stepped out of the shadow cast by the room, revealing his face. Tilo was shocked. The other Argonian was Neet. He looked exactly like him, had the same voice, same movements, communicated in the same way, and even said the same thing at the exact same time as Neet. He greeted his brother. "It seems that the youngest sibling is injured."

Neet looked at him and said, "I was born two minutes after you. Two minutes doesn't count." Neet's brother only laughed and gave him a good sized healing potion. Neet drank the whole thing, partly because he was thirsty, and also because he could feel his broken bones returning back to normal. After resting for a few hours, Neet came to his brother. "Daresi, we need to talk, alone." They both looked at Tilo. He got up and left the room. Neet locked the door and walked to the far corner to a table. Daresi followed after his brother and sat down. Neet took out his amulet. "Do you know what this is?" Daresi shrugged. Neet continued, "This is a Sigil Stone. It basically keeps Oblivion in the mortal plane. This one, in particular is from Apocrypha."

Daresi's eyes widened. He was very familiar with Dunmer culrure and Hermaeus Mora. The Dunmer uncovered a new prophesy about Hermaeus Mora disrupting the balance of Mundus by spreading forbidden knowledge and destroying Tamriel through insanity. Only two bodies of one soul could defeat him. His defeat would not just leave him dormant. It would consume him. Neet got up and went to sleep. They would have to leave tomorrow. They convinced Daresi to come with them. They came to the docks where they saw Viranza standing there.

"Don't think you're leaving me." She seemed shaken by something. _Are we the only survivors?_ This made him realize that if they were, they were wanted. He put the hood of the Telvanni robes he had on over his head. Everybody boarded the _Septim_ and made for Solstheim.

The _Septim _was an old fishing boat. Aloagan had put lots of time making it a home for himself by making a brig out of the remains of a galleon he had "found" in the middle of the sea. Out of the brig he made himself a room. Neet had become comfortable behind the wheel of a ship over the years, but always wanted something more. The open waters always made him feel free, like no one he loved could be harmed and he could build a house underneath the water.

Neet walked into the quarters Aloagan had built and found a letter on the crude bed in Aloagan's handwriting. It said,

_Neet,_

_ I hope I've righted the wrongs of my life. I've hidden a lot from you, and it's time for me to come clean. Open the middle-left drawer in the dresser. I wish it could have ended differently. _

_ Sincerely,_

_ Aloagan Delvin Mallory_

_ P.S._

_ The Septim is used beyond her years. Find yourself a new boat._

Neet reached for the dresser and felt a button beneath the handle of the middle-left drawer. He pushed it and watched as the drawer turned into two pieces and contracted, revealing the lid of a chest. Neet opened it with no problem, and pulled out the Thieves Guild armor. He put it on and it fit perfectly. He then took out a key. He didn't know what to do with it, so he put it around his neck. Next, he pulled out several types of robes. The Thalmor robes gave him chills. He had plans for them later. Neet pulled out four scimitars, two ebony swords, and three Akiviri katanas. He noticed the two sheaths on his back and the other two at his hips. He took the scimitars and set the other weapons aside. _Why would someone have so many weapons?_ Neet was getting suspicious. He found ten bags of money each with "1500" written on them. He now figured out that Aloagan had been a pirate. He found a piece of paper that simply said, "The nightingale soars in the shadows."

Viranza's gray scales appeared in the corners of his eyes. Neet turned around to look at her. She didn't seem right. She wasn't bossy anymore and he saw her through different eyes. Viranza was truly beautiful. He nodded for her to sit next to him. Viranza sat down. She had always seen Neet as just another boy until now. All she saw was tiredness, pain, sadness, and compassion. She was as happy to be with him as he was with her, but both were too embarrassed to express it. "Neet, I need to tell you something. Ever since we were hatchlings you've been like a little brother to me. I get it, it's only a few days, but still. You're the only person that I believe can make me happy."

Neet looked at her and their eyes met. "Viranza, I couldn't be any happier to spend a thousand lifetimes with you. I feel the exact same way. Why tell me now?"

Viranza put her arm on his good shoulder. "I'm sixteen, and you and Tilo are the only people I have left."

She got up and went top deck. Neet laid down and smiled. He laughed. _Something good might happen after all._


End file.
